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Monthly Archives: January 2015

The process of finding death qualified jurors slowed down jury selection. In Holmes’ case, an unprecedented 9,000 jury summonses were mailed, and as of Friday, Jan. 23, 2015, 210 prospective jurors had been excused over four days. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Andy Cross, Pool, File) CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) One prospective juror said she had a panic attack. Another claimed to have a bad back. A third is in the military and worried he’d be deployed during the trial of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes. More: Panic attack, bad back: Theater shooting brings jury excuses – Yahoo News

Another claimed to have a bad back. A third is in the military and worried he would be deployed during the trial of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes. As thousands of jurors arrive at the courthouse for questioning, both sides in the mass murder trial are worried that some potential jurors are saying whatever they can to avoid serving. Prosecutors have asked the judge not to reveal why he releases jurors, for fear of handing out a road map for others trying to avoid being on the case. And defense attorney Daniel King warned the judge who was listing off the reasons to let people go: You have to consider the fact that people may not want to sit on this jury. It wont be easy for those picked. Jury selection could last until June, and the trial could run into October. More: Panic attack, bad back: Colo. theater shooting brings jury excuses – Washington Times

A third is in the military and worried he’d be deployed during the trial of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes. Even as an unprecedented 9,000 prospective jurors were summoned for questioning, both sides in the mass murder trial are worried about letting too many potential jurors go. Prosecutors have asked the judge not to reveal why he releases jurors, for fear of handing out a road map for others trying to avoid serving. And defense attorney Daniel King warned the judge who was listing off the reasons to let people go: “You have to consider the fact that people may not want to sit on this jury.” It won’t be easy for those picked. Jury selection alone could last until June, and the trial could run into October. The court will pay jurors just $50 a day during that time, and employers only have to pay their workers for the first three days of jury service. For the original version, visit http://news.yahoo.com/panic-attack-bad-back-theater-shooting-brings-jury-080513635.html

The court will pay jurors just $50 a day during that time, and Colorado employers only have to pay their workers for the first three days of jury service. The chosen 24, including 12 alternates, wont be allowed to talk to anyone – even each other – about the case until deliberations start, which means bearing the stressful experience alone. Mental health counseling will be available, but only after jurors see graphic crime scene photos and hear harrowing testimony from victims and reach a verdict. The length that you have to be on this case, and then to tell someone they cant talk about it, that is a huge burden, said Thaddeus Hoffmeister, a University of Dayton law professor. Who wants to live in that bubble? The jurys job will be not only to decide whether Holmes was insane when he killed 12 people and wounded 70 others during the July 2012 attack on a Denver area theater, but they might also be asked whether he should be executed. Research has shown jurors in death penalty cases have suffered nightmares, flashbacks and symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, said James Acker, a researcher on death penalty juries at the State University of New York in Albany. Theyll be barred from sharing what theyre going through and thus not be able to share their feelings, either, Acker said. Federal prosecutors in Boston are confronting a similar dilemma as they try to find people to serve as jurors for the murder trial of accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, another death penalty case. More: Panic attack, bad back: Colo. theater shooting brings jury excuses – Washington Times

Some of those potential jurors have also cited personal hardships that would make it difficult to serve on the trial, which is expected to last three to four months. Several said they run their own businesses and can’t afford to miss work, and others said they are the primary caregivers for their children, have prepaid vacations scheduled or have business trips planned. The Holmes case is more challenging, as evidenced by the far greater number of jurors called. The 9,000 jurors – more than have ever been summoned for a court case in U.S. history, according to experts. So many notices went out that witnesses to the attack received them, as did relatives of staffers in the district attorney’s office. Source: Panic attack, bad back: Theater shooting brings jury excuses – Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

That deal was followed by still more clashes that killed at least 1,500 people and was ultimately rejected by the rebels on Friday. The separatist leader of Donetsk vowed on Friday to escalate the nine-month campaign and seize lands in southeastern Ukraine that are currently under control of the pro-Western authorities. The pro-Kiev volunteer Azov regiment based around the city said there were “many wounded” in the attack. The Mariupol administration said the rockets hit a large market in one of the city’s main residential districts. “Right now, there are problems with the cell phone network so it is impossible to call relatives who live in that part of town,” Mariupol resident Eduard told AFP by telephone. “Obviously, everyone in the city is very scared. More: At least 10 killed in rocket attack on Ukraine’s Mariupol: police – Yahoo News

There was no immediate report of how many people died in various locations. A Ukrainian military checkpoint on a road leading out of the city toward rebel-held areas was also hit and one serviceman was killed, the Defense Ministry said. Rocket strikes on Mariupol come as separatists have declared their intention to mount a multi-pronged offensive aimed at vastly increasing the territory under their control. That would definitively upend recent European attempts to mediate an end to the fighting. Mariupol city council urged residents not to panic and to ignore rumors that Ukrainian armed forces were planning to withdraw. “On the contrary, all units are on fully battle-ready. Security measures in the city have been strengthened,” the council said in a statement. Read More: Officials: 21 killed in Mariupol attack in Ukraine | Boston Herald

Police: 10 killed in Mariupol shelling in Ukraine – Yahoo News

21, 2015, the destroyed airport in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine i “On the contrary, all units are on fully battle-ready. Security measures in the city have been strengthened,” the council said in a statement. No armed separatist units have been noted moving toward the city, the statement added. Clashes are taking place across the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where separatist insurgencies emerged in April following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Fighting has also been intensifying recently for the government-held town of Debaltseve. Main roads to the town lie in separatist control and speculation is mounting that Ukrainian forces stationed there could soon be fully encircled. Read More: Police: 10 killed in Mariupol shelling in Ukraine – Yahoo News

Photos of the Day Photos of the day 01/21 A Hamas leader, Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the militant organizations political bureau, praised the attack as heroic but did not take responsibility. Netanyahu and his political rivals on the Israeli right, meanwhile, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett, lined up to accuse Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of responsibility. “The terror attack in Tel Aviv is the direct result of the poisonous incitement spread in the Palestinian Authority against Jews and their country,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “The same terrorism tries to attack us in Paris, in Brussels and everywhere.” Attacker shot and arrested The alleged attacker, identified as Hamza Muhammad Hassan Matrouk of Tulkarem, who police said had entered Israel illegally, fled the bus and was later shot by security officers and arrested. Five commuters, including the bus driver, were wounded in the attack and were taken to the hospital in moderate to critical condition. Four others suffered light injuries. Read More: Netanyahu says ‘incitement’ behind Palestinian’s rush-hour knife attack (+video) – CSMonitor.com

“The same terrorism tries to attack us in Paris, in Brussels and everywhere.” ATTACKER SHOT AND ARRESTED The alleged attacker, identified as Hamza Muhammad Hassan Matrouk of Tulkarem, who police said had entered Israel illegally, fled the bus and was later shot by security officers and arrested. Five commuters, including the bus driver, were wounded in the attack and were taken to the hospital in moderate to critical condition. Four others suffered light injuries. The attack occurred at around 7:20 a.m., shortly after the suspect boarded the bus and started attacking the driver and other passengers. Witnesses travelling behind the bus knew something was wrong when it suddenly started to swerve and abruptly stopped. Passengers then ran away in panic. The bus driver fought with the terrorist and tried to resist the attack, said the Tel Aviv district police chief, Bentzi Sau. More: Netanyahu says ‘incitement’ behind Palestinian’s rush-hour knife attack – Yahoo News

Photos of the Day Photos of the day 01/21 A Hamas leader, Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the militant organizations political bureau, praised the attack as heroic but did not take responsibility. Netanyahu and his political rivals on the Israeli right, meanwhile, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett, lined up to accuse Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of responsibility. “The terror attack in Tel Aviv is the direct result of the poisonous incitement spread in the Palestinian Authority against Jews and their country,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “The same terrorism tries to attack us in Paris, in Brussels and everywhere.” Attacker shot and arrested The alleged attacker, identified as Hamza Muhammad Hassan Matrouk of Tulkarem, who police said had entered Israel illegally, fled the bus and was later shot by security officers and arrested. Five commuters, including the bus driver, were wounded in the attack and were taken to the hospital in moderate to critical condition. Four others suffered light injuries. Read More: Netanyahu says ‘incitement’ behind Palestinian’s rush-hour knife attack (+video) – CSMonitor.com

“The same terrorism tries to attack us in Paris, in Brussels and everywhere.” ATTACKER SHOT AND ARRESTED The alleged attacker, identified as Hamza Muhammad Hassan Matrouk of Tulkarem, who police said had entered Israel illegally, fled the bus and was later shot by security officers and arrested. Five commuters, including the bus driver, were wounded in the attack and were taken to the hospital in moderate to critical condition. Four others suffered light injuries. The attack occurred at around 7:20 a.m., shortly after the suspect boarded the bus and started attacking the driver and other passengers. Witnesses travelling behind the bus knew something was wrong when it suddenly started to swerve and abruptly stopped. Passengers then ran away in panic. The bus driver fought with the terrorist and tried to resist the attack, said the Tel Aviv district police chief, Bentzi Sau. More: Netanyahu says ‘incitement’ behind Palestinian’s rush-hour knife attack – Yahoo News

Ehlers also picked up five points along the way. Mason McDonald, Charlottetown (No. 34 by Calgary in ’14) Come Team Canada camp time next season, will it be possible to get some cheap symbolism out of Jan. 18, 2015? McDonald came out on top in a matchup against golden goalie Zach Fucale by making 14 of his 36 saves during the third period of the Islanders’ 3-2 win at Charlottetown, With a 1.00/.971 statline on the week, the southpaw was the Q’s No. 2 star of the week. Jan Kostalek, Rimouski (No. For the original version, visit http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/jan-19-chl-hot—cold-195936589.html

But this was something different. “I felt a bolt of fear rolling up my back, over my shoulders, and down my face, and I couldnt do anything to stop it,” Harris told us. Harris, now a Nightline co-anchor, wrote a memoir that happens to be one of the most accessible, sensible, and hilarious guides to meditation and mindfulness. 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually WorksA True Story , (which just came out in paperback) is an irreverent, painfully honest tale about Harriss journey from being an ambitious, self-lacerating newsman with a recreational drug habit, to becoming an ambitious, self-lacerating newsman with a meditation habit. It offered him more mindfulness. What Harris calls “the biggie” and describes as a “superpower” is “the ability to know whats in your head at any given moment without getting carried away by it.” The result after countless hours of practice and a 10-day silent meditation retreat? “Improved relationships with colleagues, a better product,” he says, “and making the overall day more heedful and successful on a lot of levels including less stress when Im home. My wife would give you the Still 90% a moron speech,” adds Harris. Read More: How A Media Star Found Mindfulness After A Meltdown In Front Of 5 Million Viewers | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

Katsuya Takahashi, a 56-year-old former member of the Aum Supreme Truth cult, denied being involved in unleashing sarin nerve gas on the underground rail system, in an attack that sparked rush hour chaos in the Japanese capital. “I did not know the thing released was sarin,” Takahashi, who has been charged with murder and other crimes, told Tokyo District Court. “I didn’t intend to kill people,” he said, speaking in a quiet voice while dressed in a dark suit with a blue tie. Police captured Takahashi in June 2012, bringing to an end the hunt for those thought to be behind the coordinated release of the Nazi-developed gas, an incident that sowed panic throughout the heaving metropolis. He is also accused of conspiring with other members to send an explosive to then-Tokyo governor Yukio Aoshima in 1995, an incident that injured a Tokyo government official. View gallery Subway passengers wait to receive medical attention after inhaling Sarin nerve gas in Tokyo’s su Takahashi, who was on the run for more than 17 years, was a one-time guard for Aum leader Shoko Asahara, and allegedly served as a driver when cult members released the gas. For the original version, visit http://news.yahoo.com/trial-final-tokyo-gas-attack-fugitive-begins-061542479.html

Belgium arrests 15 over foiled plot to ‘kill police’ – Yahoo News

With security tightened across Europe, and other arrests in France and also in Germany on Friday, a man with a military weapon took hostages at post office near Paris. The incident, which ended with his surrender, unfolded after Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the city to offer U.S. solidarity in combating militants. In Belgium, Prime Minister Charles Michel urged people not to panic, saying authorities believed their actions had thwarted any imminent attack. Home to half a million Muslims, or five percent of the population, Belgium believes some 300 citizens have fought in Syria – the highest rate per head in Europe. Security was tight at public buildings in the capital and at police stations. More: Belgium arrests 15 over foiled plot to ‘kill police’ – Yahoo News

‘Like Christmas’: Rush to cash in on soaring Swiss franc – Yahoo News

Other frontaliers were also celebrating Thursday, but said they would not immediately buy large amounts of euros. – Panic buying? – “For those of us living in France and working in Switzerland, this is great!” said Doina Bancila, a 40-year-old bank employee. “But I don’t want to buy euros in a panic. I’ll wait for next week or the week after to see how the situation evolves,” she told AFP. View gallery Currency rates are displayed at an exchange office in Geneva on January 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Fabrice Gaelle Voisin, another resident of France, meanwhile said she had only learned about the bonanza she had in store when she turned up at the exchange office. “I was really surprised to see all of these people here,” said the 40-year-old radio presenter, adding she at first thought the crowd was waiting to buy the latest copy of Charlie Hebdo, in tribute to the 12 people killed in last week’s attack on the satirical weekly’s Paris office. Source: ‘Like Christmas’: Rush to cash in on soaring Swiss franc – Yahoo News